Amalgam carrier



Aug. 23, 1955 A. E. CHANDLER AMALGAM CARRIER Filed April 5, 1954 [T A nN a U m w E I M. Wm M v.

United States Patent fice AMALGAM CARRIER Albert E. Chandler, San Antonio, Tex.

Application April 5, 1954, Serial No. 421,149

7 Claims. (Cl. 32-60) The present invention relates to the broad class of dentistry, and has to do with a structurally and functionally novel hand operated instrument which is expressly and therefore suitably adapted to enable a user to effectually insert filling material into the cavity of a selected tooth, an instrument commonly known in the trade as an amalgam carrier.

As the title of the invention implies, and the preceding statement explains, many and varied forms and styles of amalgam carriers have been contrived for handily picking up the amalgam and carrying it into the mouth and inserting the same in a predetermined tooth cavity. In accordance with commonly approved practice, the operator forces what may be designated as the lower end of the barrel into the freshly prepared alloy and thus fills the barrel in the manner that a pharmacist fills a capsule. When the barrel is loaded, the instrument is carried into the mouth of the patient, the tip of the barrel is placed into or above the cavity in the tooth, and applying a squeezing action on the handle portions of the pivoted levers, a reciprocable plunger cooperating with the barrel expresses the filling material into the cavity in a generally well known manner.

The range of practical usefulness of prior art amalgam carriers is limited by reason of the fact that the barrel is fixedly secured to the jaw whichcarries it and its axis is at right angles to the long axis of thestated jaw. The objective in the instant matter is to structurally, functionally and otherwise improve upon analogous prior art amalgam carriers and, in doing so, to provide a structurally distinct and practicable carrier in which instrument makers, retailers, dentists and others will find their respective requirements and needs aptly and effectually met.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention, an amalgam carrier is had, the same comprising a pair of levers having intermediate portions crossed in overlapping relationship and pivotally connected in scissors-like fashion, portions to one side of the pivotal connection providing manually actuated handles, and portions to the other side of said pivotal connection providing jaws movable toward and from each other, an openended fillings applicator barrel hingedly mounted on one jaw, a plunger reciprocable in the bore of said barrel, and an operating connection between one end of said plunger and the other jaw.

More specifically, novelty has to do with the above defined subject matter wherein said barrel may be swingably adjusted to assume a commonly needed position at right angles to the long axis of said one jaw, other often needed positions at obtuse and acute angles respectively, as well as intermediate angular positions between the extreme acute angled and obtuse angled positions.

Features and advantages in addition to those so far touched upon will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Patented Aug. 23, 1955 Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a novel dental instrument, an amalgam carrier, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the instrument seen in Figure 1 with portions of the handles omitted;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section and elevation taken along the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig ure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is an enlarged section on the vertical line 4-4 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the plunger.

Referring now to the views of the sheet of drawings with reference numerals and lead lines, the latter directed to corresponding elements throughout the views, the two primary units, which we shall call levers, are denoted by the numerals 6 and 8. These have overlapping cooperating flattened intermediate portions 10 and 12 which are pivoted together, as at 14. The handle portion 16 has a lateral thumb ring 18 at one end and a suitable slot 20 intermediate its ends. This serves to accommodate a slightly arcuate rod member 22 whose screw threaded end 2 passes through and beyond the slot to accommodate an assembling unt 26. The rod member is carried by and projects laterally from the other handle 28, which latter handle is provided at its left hand end with a finger ring for the index finger of the dentist or other user of the instrument. To the right of the pivot 14 in the drawings, lever 8 is provided with a slightly bowed jaw 32 having a reduced terminal shank which is preferably cylindrical in cross-section, as at 34, and has a shoulder 36 at the inner end and a removable shoulder 38 at the outer end. The shoulder 38 is in the form of a nut which is mounted on the screw threaded end 48, as best shown in Figure 3. A coil spring 42 encircles the rod member and the tendency of the spring to expand forces the handles 16 and 28 apart and pushes the jaw 32 toward the opposed complemental jaw 44 which is a part of the lever 6 and is slightly oiiset in the manner shown. The jaw 44 may be said to be linearly straight, rectangular in cross-section and provided with a flat bottom face 46. The outer end of the jaw is bifurcated, and the furcations are denoted by the numerals 48.

The open-ended cylindrical barrel is denoted by the numeral 56 and, as best shown in Figure 3, this is provided at the upper end and on one side with a lateral lug 52 which is pivoted between the fur-cations 48, as at 54. There are also spaced parallel ears 56 carrying a pivot 53 which joins one end of a stay link 60 to the intermediate portion of the barrel. The other end of the link is pivoted, as at 62, between depending spaced ears 6 on one end of a slotted slide 66. The slide is adjus ably mounted on the flat surface 46 by way of a setscrew 68.

The plunger is a rigid cylindrical rod 70, and it is operable in the uniformly cylindrical bore 72 of the barrel. The upper end of the plunger is flattened, as at 74, where it is pivoted, at 76, between ears 78 on a collar 80 slidable on the axle-like shank 34.

As is clear from Figure l, the spring 42 presses the handles 16 and 28 apart, as well as the jaws 32 and 44 apart, and permits the user to place the thumb in the ring 18 and the middle finger, as is generally the practice, in the ring 30. With the fingers thus ringed to the instrument, the proper step is to fill the barrel 50 with amalgam by cutting into the available mixture thereof (not shown). The barrel in Figure 3 is shown at right angles, which is the usual angle required in most cases. By loosening the setscrew and adjusting the slide 68 and stay link 60, it is possible to pivot and push the barrel to a position from right to left in Figure 3, in which position the barrel could be at an acute angle to the. axis of the jaw 44. Or, the barrel may. 7

be shifted and adjusted to assume an obtuse angular position in an obvious manner. It might be mentioned that the bore 72 in the barrel is of the same diameter from end to end. It is plain, also, that the collar 80 slides back and forth on the axle-like shank 34 to automatically assume the best position for use of the instrument, regardless of whether the'barrel is at'a right angle, an acute an'gle,an obtuse angle, or any intermedi: ate angle between the two extremes.

It will be evident to the reader that the herein revealed instrument can be sterilized by heat or any other method. The parts are readily interchangeable. The

construction is'such that the user can reach any cavity in any tooth in the mouth. Greater pressure can be applied than in other similarly constructed and performing carriers. It will not slip or slide under pressure applied. It can be easily adjusted to cause the barrel to assume the desired'angular positions. It al- .loy'is left in the barrel, the step of merely passing the barrel over the flame in a Bunsen burner will melt and clear the bore of the barrel. The construction is economical tomanufacture, and the parts can be replaced at small cost. Actual experimental use has convincinglyshown that the construction revealed is proper for the intended purposes.

a It is to be pointed out, somewhat in conclusion, that the hinged or swinging barrel fixed to one jaw of the carrier acts not only as. an amalgam holder but also'as a guide for the plunger, which latter slides back and forth on the collar' opposite the jaw of the carrier to accommodate' the barrel when set at any angle, and

. only one adjustment is required, this being that of the 'barrel.

tions and equivalents may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

. What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. Anamalgam carrier comprising a pair of levers having intermediate portions crossed in overlapping relationship and pivotally connected in scissors-like fashion, portions to one side of the pivotal connection providing manually actuated handles, and portions to the other side of said pivotal connection providing jaws movable toward and from each other, an open-ended fillings applicator barrel hingedly mounted on one jaw, a plunger reciprocable in the bore of said barrel, an operating connection between one end of said plunger and the other jaw, said barrel being swingably adjusted to assume a commonly needed position at right angles to therlong axis of said one jaw, other often needed positions at obtuse and acute angles, respectively, as Well as intermediate angular positions between the extreme acute angled and obtuse angled positions, and adjusting and retainingmeans between said'one jaw and an intermediate portion of said barrel.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein the operating connection between said plunger and other jaw is longitudinally slidable and includes a pivotal joint.

3. An amalgam carrier comprising a pair of levers having intermediate portions crossed in overlapping relationship and pivotally connected in scissors-like fashion,

portions to one side of the pivotal connection providing manually actuated handles, and portions to the other side of said pivotal connection providing jaws movable toward and from each other, an open-ended fillings applicator barrel hingedly mounted on one jaw, a plunger reciprocable in the bore of 'said barrel, a collar slidingly mounted on said other jaw, and a pivotal connection between one end of said plunger and said collar.

4. An amalgam carrier comprising a pair of levers having intermediate portions crossed in overlapping relationship and pivotally connected in scissors-like fashion, portions to one side of the pivotal connection providing manually actuated handles, and portions to the other side of said pivotal connection providing jaws movable toward and from each other, an open-ended cylindrical barrel, means joining one end of said barrel to one jaw, a plunger reciprocable in the bore of said barrel, a collar slidingly mounted on said other jaw, and a pivotal connection between one end of the plunger and said collar.

5. An amalgam carrier comprising a pair of levers having intermediate portions crossed in overlapping relationship and pivotally connected in scissors-like fashion, portions to one side of the pivotal connection providing manually actuated handles, and portions to the other side of said pivotal connection providing jaws movable toward and from each other, an open-ended barrel hingedly mounted at one end on one of said jaws, a slide adjustably mounted on said one jaw, and an adjusting and stay link pivotally connected atone end to said slide and pivotally connected at its opposite end to'an intermediate portion of said barrel. 7

6.An amalgam carrier comprising a pair of levers having intermediate portions crossed in overlapping relationship and pivotally connected in scissors-like fashion, portions to one side of the pivotal connection providing manually actuated handles, and portions to the other side of said pivotal connection providing jaws movable toward and from each other, one of said jaws being offset, linearly straight, flat faced on at least one side, and having its free end bifurcated and defining a pair of furcations, an open-ended barrel having a lateral lug on one side hingedly mounted between said fu'rcations and also having a pair of spaced parallel ears, a barrel angling, adjusting and stay link having one end pivoted between said ears, a slide adjustably mounted on one flat face, and a pivoted connectionbetween said slide and other end of said link, a plunger slidable in the bore of saidbarrel, and an operating connection between one end of said plunger and the other jaw.

7. An amalgam carrier comprising a pair of levers having intermediate portions crossed .in overlapping rela-.

tionship 'and'pivotally connected in scissors-like fashion, portions to one side of the pivotal connection providing manually actuated handles, and portions to the other side of said pivotal connection providing jaws movable to ward and from each other, 'an open-ended fillings applicator barrel hingedly mounted on one jaw, the other jaw having a cylindrical shank, a collar removably' and adjustably mounted on said shank, a plunger comprising a linearly straight rod pivotally connected at one end to said collar, said plunger being reciprocable in the bore of said barrel, and an adjusting and retaining connection between the intermediate portion of said barrel and said one jaw.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 688,553 Siqveland Dec. 10, 1901 1,188,417 Dalbey Iune27, 1916' 2,690,618 Freedman Oct. 5, 1954. 

